Family

“I said I was sorry na, what do you want me to do.” My cousin from the night before said as I continue to glare at her.

“I was slapped because of you and you are still throwing shade at me.” I griped at her. 

“Not throwing any shade oh, just calm down na.  Please Stella, I am sorry!” Ivy said with a roll of her eyes which proves that her words were as insincere as before even if she managed to infuse sobriety in them.

“One day, you will enter gbese. The kind of one which I will not be able to help you out of.” I said tiredly then moved towards the bathroom.

“Why do you do it?” Ivy asked me in a non-hostile tone which she still managed to make it look like she was picking a fight. The girl is so complex that I need to review every action from her just so I can identify which one is the real emotion she is trying to show.

“Do what?” I asked without turning to look at her.

“Take care of me, treat me with respect and remain good to me when you don’t have to be.” Ivy listed.

“Because I am all you have, just like you are all I have.”  I replied her but she hissed.

“We have Uncle Tony, you were the one who made us leave, I was okay there, why did we have to leave?” 

I flinched at her words, she wants a connection with the only person who really knew her parents and could tell stories about them, I was like her too, worse than her in hero worshipping Uncle Tony. Until he showed me that he was not a hero, he wasn’t even a villain. He was a monster. “I had to leave him Ivy, and I couldn’t leave you with him.”

“That’s a non-answer if I ever heard one and you are still treating me like a child, like I don’t know how the world works.” Ivy shouted at me.

“That is because you don’t, you keep raising your voice at me like we are age mates, I gave up a lot so that we will be together and you still treat me this way. Don’t you think that you acting out and throwing tantrums, making messes I have to clean depicts that you are a child? Stop asking me why I am treating you like a child when you are still behaving like one.” I yanked the suger coat off. I have had enough. She wants to keep acting like a child then she should but she will not drag me with her.

“Stella.” Ivy said shocked like seeing this angry me was a new sight, something which she has never seen and it was true, last night was the straw that broke the Camel’s back.

“Wake up and smell the coffee Ivy. Uncle Tony since he took over our family company had made times two of his net worth. I am supposed to take my seat as chairperson of the board at twenty three and I haven’t being taught anything. Is it until Tony marries one of us to keep the inheritance that you will realize what is going on? You need to pull your head out of the clouds it is in and face reality.” I marched to the bathroom with that parting shot fired. I knew that is I look back, her sad face will make me apologize but she is a legal adult, it was time she starts behaving like one.

I was in the bathroom when Ivy knocked and thrust my phone at me as soon as I opened the door. “It says Stalker.” Ivy mumbled before shuffling off not waiting for my reply, I bit my lips as I put the phone on my ear. I couldn’t as well end it now when she had already picked the call and he just heard her words. 

“What?” I snapped with an attitude, there was just something about the guy that rubbed me the wrong way if we had met somewhere else apart from a club, maybe he would have had a better chance. I also know that my judgment of people is usually high but what to expect. Guys who go to club are not ready to get serious yet, they are just looking for a good time and I cannot let a guy in for just a good time ever. I have a lot on my plate to deal with and a guy who is just looking for a worthy bang or an unserious girlfriend is not someone I was looking for. And secondly, my figure tends to be on most guys mind, not my person hence the reason why I always display attitude, apparently this guy needs more attitude than usual to realize that I am not worth the trouble and so he will get to leave me alone.

“Good morning to you too Damsel.” His deep voice chuckled.

“No need for smartass replies, I am busy.” I tell him with a roll of my eyes. He must have guessed that I was bathing and his next word will be something along the context of me describing myself or something. 

“Bathing right, that means that in an hour you will be done or something, are you going somewhere?” his voice perked up.

At first I was confused, his reply was not what I expected then I decided to play along, let me see what he will say next. “No, I want to take my bathe and stay indoors talking to some people like me would are jobless.” 

“Chai, this woman. Your mouth sharp oh.” He responded in a happy tone. “I am already at work, can we meet up today?” 

“Why will I want to do that?” I laughed harshly.

“Because you should feel indebted to me, I drove you and your friend yesterday, to a direction completely opposite of where I was going.” He replied me, all serious with his voice losing that playful drawl, I frown when I realized, that I prefer that him but it didn’t change the fact that he was right. I should feel indebted.

That doesn’t mean that I was going to tell him that though. “And I gave you my number, why will I still be feeling that way.” I crowed back at him.

“And I saved you from being a punching bag for a guy who wouldn’t have stopped.” He added as I frown and glared at the phone. He was right.

“Where do you want to meet up? It has to be a public place and it better not be a restaurant or something like that, I would just pay for myself because I would not like to feel more indebted to you.” I warns him.

“Ah, so you do feel indebted to me.” His playful tone returned.

“Someone forgot I am busy and it seems like he doesn’t want to see me today.” I returns as he laughs.

“Touché. Fine, how about we meet in the business district, I will like to pay for your transport but I think that you will just fling that back at me.” 

“Smart man, you are already learning.” I smiled. “Time?”

“Three pm.” He replied as I agreed then ended the call. It might seem that first impression in his case was wrong… or is shaping that way, well it is too early to make a conclusion. Let’s see how everything goes.